ShopSmart

The developers of Adware.MacOS.ShopSmart advertise it as a useful program that displays discount coupons, deals, and competitive offers for products that users search in online shops. Yet, cybersecurity experts classify it as a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP) due to its deceptive means of distribution.

Technically, ShopSmart is an adware-type of a threat. It installs as a browser extension, and its primary goal is to generate intrusive and misleading pop-ups containing texts like "Brought to you by Shop Smart," "Powered by Shop Smart," "Ads by Shop Smart," or "You’ve received a premium offer from Shop Smart." Clicking on any of these pop-ups leads to the installation of other questionable third-party tools, generating pay-per-click revenues for Shop Smart owners. This adware also changes random web page texts into hyperlinks and recommends fake software updates with the same purpose.

Adware.MacOS.ShopSmart is typically distributed through installer bundles of third party software. Examples of such are Softonic Installer, CNET installer, and InstallRex. Shop Smart threatens your online safety as it collects browsing information like IP addresses, visited URLs, viewed pages, search queries, etc. Collected data may also contain private information like bank accounts and credit card numbers; therefore, having Shop Smart adware on your computer can lead to massive security and performance issues, as well as significant financial losses. Manual removal is complicated and can require advanced computer skills. For that reason, experts recommend using an automated malware removal tool.